Football

Bears Run Over Cornell, 28-7

Providence, Rhode Island -
Senior quarterback Joseph DiGiacomo passed for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead Brown to a 28-7 Homecoming victory over Cornell before a raucous crowd of 8,875 at Brown Stadium. The win, Brown's first Ivy victory of the season, lifts the Bears to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in Ivy play, while Cornell drops to 2-4, 0-3 in the Ivy League.

"The fun is back, " said Bears' head coach Phil Estes following the game. "We got together as a team and have re-focused on each game with game goals. We're learning to trust each other and play as a team."

Brown's offense came out of the gate firing on all cylinders and grabbed a 7-0 lead on its first possession. On the touchdown play, DiGiacomo connected with sophomore Colin Cloherty on a screen over the middle. Cloherty caught the ball at the Cornell 48-yard line, broke a tackle and scampered the remainder of the way down the middle of the field for a 51-yard score with 8:51 left in the first quarter.

Cornell scored on a 12-yard pass play midway through the second quarter to tie the game 7-7 at the half.

Early in the third quarter, Cornell muffed a punt that was recovered by sophomore Jake Powers at the Big Red 42-yard line. The Bears drove down the field and scored the go-ahead touchdown when DiGiacomo ducked under a pass rusher, scrambled to his left and threw a 13-yard touchdown strike to Cloherty to give the Bears a 14-7 advantage with 10:08 left in the quarter.

"Colin has the speed of a wide receiver and came up with a lot of big plays," said DiGiacomo. "I saw him put up his hand in the back of the end zone and hit him on the scramble."

On Cornell's next possession, Brown's defense came up with a stop on fourth and one, giving its offense possession at its own 47-yard line with 3:51 left in the third quarter. Juniors Kai Brown and Eric Brewer combined for the key fourth down stop.

The Bears came roaring down field with a mix of passes and running plays and scored on a three-yard run by DiGiacomo with 13:39 left in the fourth quarter to grab a 21-7 advantage.

The Bears put the game away with a long 90-yard scoring drive that was highlighted by a 30- yard run by sophomore Dereck Knight that brought the ball to the Cornell eight yard line. On third and goal at the Cornell one-yard line, senior Akin Oyalowo fumbled at the goal line, but junior offensive lineman Jimmy Tull fell on the ball in the end zone for his first collegiate touchdown with 4:43 remaining, giving the Bears a 28-7 lead.

Brown's second half surge was due in part to a strong running game, with 159 of its season high 220 rushing yards coming after intermission. Conversely, Brown's defense shut down the Cornell attack in the second half, limiting the Big Red to just 47 total yards in the third and fourth quarters.

An interception by Bears' corner back Matt Mullenax gave Brown the ball at its own 46-yard line and the Bears were able to run out the clock for the victory.

Individually, DiGiacomo completed 17 of 27 passes for 183 yards, while Cloherty made a season high six receptions for 94 yards. diGiacomo also rushed for 50 yards. Junior wide receiver Paul Raymond registered four receptions and rushed for 13 yards. Knight finished as the game's top rusher with 96 yards on 11 carries, while Oyalowo ran for 61 yards on 18 attempts.

Senior All-American linebacker Zak DeOssie helped the Bears dominate the defensive side of the ball with 14 total tackles, including 10 solo hits and a tackle for a loss. Brewer came up with 10 tackles and a quarterback sack in a strong effort.

The Bears will travel to Philadelphia, PA next Saturday, October 28, for a 12:00 noon match-up against Penn at Franklin Field.